Envelop.



l. E. WHITE.

ENVELOP.

APPLICATION FILED ma. 1. I916.

1,212,594, Patented Jan. 16,1917.

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INVENTOR q ATTORNEY 'J. E. WHITE.

ENVELOP.

APPLICATION men mm. a. ms.

1,212,594. Patented Jan. 16,1917.

F119 4 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVENTOR WITNESSES TLLW JAMES E. WHITE, OF WALKER, MINNESOTA.

ENVELOP.

Application filed March 1, 1916.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES E. Wm'rn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Walker, in the county of Cass and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelope, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved safety envelop and the principal object of the invention is to provide the envelop with. improved locking means, the locking means including tongues formed from the end Wings of the envelop and passed through slots formed in the upper and lower wings, the tongues being engaged by a key preventing removal of the tongues after the envelop is closed.

Another object of the invention is to so construct these tongues and key that they will securely interlock and prevent removal of the tongues without the envelop being torn thus indicating that it has been tampered with.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a View of the blank from which the improved envelop is formed. Fig. 2 is a view of the blank from which the key forming part of this improved envelop is formed. Fig. 3 is a view showing the blank of Fig. 1 folded to produce the envelop. Fig. 4 is a view of the envelop in the sealed condition. Fig. 5 is a view of the sealed envelop with the back or body portion thereof broken away to show the manner in which the tongues and key interlock. Fig. 6 is alongitudinal sectional view shown in Fig. 5, the view being taken along the line 6-6 and the thickness of the envelop being increased for sake of clearness.

The blank from which this envelop is formed is shown in Fig. 1 and from an inspection of the same, it will be seen that the blank is folded along the dotted lines 10 and 11 to provide the rear wall or body portion 12, 11 per and lower flaps or wings 13 and end aps or wings 14 and 15, the upper and lower wings 13 eing provided with transversely extending slots 16 and 17 which re iFster when the flaps are folded as shown in The wings 14 and 15 are provided with side flaps 18, 19 and 20, the wing 14 being Specification of Letters Patent.

through the envelop Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

Serial No. 81,481.

provided with notches 21 and cutouts 22. These side flaps 18 will be folded along the dotted lines 23 and will then produce a tongue 24 having a head 25 provided at its inner end with the engaging shoulders 26, the object of which will be hereinafter brought out. The side flaps 19 and 20 will be folded along the dotted lines 27 to provide the tongue 28 as shown in Fig. 3, the wing 19 being extended as shown in Fig. 1 to provide the tab 29 and the side flap 20 having its inner end extended beyond the inner end of the flap 19 to provide the tab 30 which is to be torn along the dotted lines 31. The side wings 15 and fiap 19 are provided with slots 32, 33 and 34 and the flap 30 is provided with cutouts forming pockets 35, 36 and 37 which register when the flaps 19 and 20 are folded to provide the tongue 28. It will thus be seen that when the wings 14 and 15 are folded to produce the tongues 24 and 28 the tongue 24 will be provided with an engaging head and the tongue 28 will be provided with passages. It will be further noted that these tongues are of such width that they may pass easily through the slots 16 and 17 as shown in Fig. 4.

When this envelop is in use the letter is placed against the back or body portion 12 and the upper and lower wings are then folded u on the letter. The end wings are then foldbd to produce the tongues 24 and 28 and the tongue 28 is then held in the folded condition shown in Fig. 3 by means of the key formed from the blank shown in Fig. 2. This blank 38 is folded along the dotted lines 39' so that its end portions 40 and 41 will lie one upon the other with the abutment shoulders 42 and 43 registerin The key 44 which is formed from this olded blank 38 is threaded through the openings formed in the tongue 28 and will be held in place bly the interlocking engagement by the shou ders 42 and 43 with the tongue 28 upon opposite sides of the transversely extending openin formed therein. When this tongue 28 is t readed through the slots 16 and 17 the tab 29 will extend out through the slot 16 and the tab will extend out through the slot 17. The tapered ends of the blank forming the key 44 will also extend out throu h the slot 17 and it will thus be seen that t e tongue 28 and key 44 can be moved longitudinally when necessary in order to provide a good locking engagement with the tongue 24. This tongue 24 is passed through the slot 16 beneath the tongue 28 and its head 25 is passed through the opening 45 which forms a socket to provide interlocking engagement with the shoulder 26 of the head 25.

After the head 25 has been passed through the socket 4-5, the tongues and key can be drawn longitudinally to provide a tight engagement and the extended end torn oil thus making it impossible to release the interlocked tongues without tearing the same. Of course, when the upper and lower wings 13 are folded upon the letter, they will be sealed as an additional securing means and if desired, the inner end portions of the end wings Li and 15 can also be sealed upon the outer wing 13. There- Fore the envelop will be securely held in the closed condition and cannot be opened by unauthorized persons without the opening being indicated. I have therefore provided a safety envelop which will be easy to close but which is so constructed that it cannot be opened after once being sealed without the interlocking tongues being torn. It is of course, obvious that if desired, this same structure could be applied to receptacles such as paste-board boxes or the like.

What is claimed is 1-- 1. An envelop provided with a body portion including upper and lower wings and end wings, the end wings being provided with side flaps, one of the side flaps of one of the end wings being extended beyond the outer end of the end wing and-the second side flap of the end wing being extended inwardly beyond the inner end of the first mentioned side flap thereof, one of said end wings being provided with openings and the second end wing being provided with side notchesforming abutment shoulders, said upper and lower wings being folded and provided with registering slots, a key formed from a blank doubled intermediate its length, said key being provided with abutment shoulders and having a cutout forming a pocket, the key being threaded through the registering openings formed in the end wing having the extensions, said last mentioned end wing being threaded through the registering slots formed in said upper and lower wings and the remaining end wing being threaded through'one of the sets of registering slots in said upper and lower wings and having its inner end pass-' ing through the pocket of said key with its shoulders in interlocking engagement with said key upon opposite sides of the pocket and with the shoulders of said key in interlocking engagement with the end wing having the extensions.

2. An envelop comprising a body portion having upper and lower wings and end wings, the end wings being provided with side flaps folded to provide end tongues, one of said tongues being provided with side notches forming a head having abutment shoulders, and the second tongue being provided with openings and having one of its side flaps provided with an outer extension forming a tab and the second flap with an inner extension forming a second tab, said upper and lower wings being folded and provided with registering openings, a key threaded through the openings of said second tongue and provided with side notches forming abutment shoulders for interlocking engagement with the tongues, said key being provided with a cutout forming a pocket, said tongue and key being threaded through the openings of the upper and lower wings with the tabs extending out through the openings of the wings, the first mentioned tongue being threaded through one set of registering openings in said upper and lower wings and having its inner end passing through the pocket of said key for interlocking engagement between the key and shoulders of the tongues, the tabs being then removed.

3. An envelop comprising a body portion including upper and lower wings and end wings, said upper and lower wings being folded and provided with registering slots, one of said end wings being provided with side flaps folded to provide a tongue having side notches providing a head having abutment shoulders at its inner end, the second and wing being provided with side flaps folded and provided with registering openings forming passageways in the second tongue, said second tongue being passed through the registering openings of said upper and lower wings, a key passed through the passageways of the second tongue and provided with side notches forming shoulders for interlocking engagement with the second tongue, and said first mentioned tongue being passed through certain of the registering openings of said upper and lower wings and through the pocket of said key for interlocking engagement between the key and the abutment shoulders of the first mentioned tongue.

4. An envelop comprising a body portion including upper and lower wings and end wings, said upper and lower wings being folded and provided with registering openings, one of said end wings forming a tongue provided with a head having abutment shoulders and the second end wing providing a tongue having passageways formed therein, a key passed through the passageways of said second tongue and provided with abutment shoulders for interlocking engagement with the second tongue, looking engagement between the key and said key being provided with a pocket, said the shoulders of the tongue. 10 second tongue being threaded through In testimony whereof I aifix my signature the openings of said upper and lower in presence of two witnesses.

wings and said first mentioned tongue JAMES E. WHITE. being passed through one set of openings Witnesses:

in said upper and lower wings and MABEL A. CARLsoN,

through the pocket in said key for inter- R. F. Ross.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

